Folding apparatus for printing-presses.



PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907.

No. 8'7l,038.

H. P. HUSBY. PoLDING APPARATUS PGR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED IAB.. 29, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATBNTED Nov. 12, 1907.

H. P. HUSBY. FOLDING 'APPARATUS FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

AIPLIOATIOR FILED IAB. 29. 1907.

3 SEEETSn-SHEET 2.

. I /T-w i,

PATENTBD NOV. l2, 1907.

H. P. HUSBY. FOLDING APPARATUS POR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLIOATIOH FILED HAB.. 29, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

cfL

auf

w' KM at n very high nite of speed without injuryto the ;.conld be efficiently and safely opemted,-in other "'.rmln'y improvements looking to a higher'specd and which the best forma of folding and delivery mechan- "l isnt-in use can be run is still not so high as that at to-print the paper at a greater speed .than the tolding ing folding rollers and a folding blade which is operingblade. The folding blade, in other words, is

i tell defined limits it is aptto cause breakage of the parts, a stripping of the goats, or breaking down of the i' tlie run which shall operate without the violent conhet of the operating parts in the course of the operation of the folding blade. and which, avoiding this UNITED. sTATEsPnTENT OFFICE.

HANS PIHUSPEY, OF CHICAGO, lLLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOSS PRINTING PRESS COMPANY,

0F CHICAGQJLLIXOIS, A CORPORATION OF lLllIh'OlS f FOLDING APPARATUS Fon PRnvTmG-rtnssa i Specification of Lett-ers Patent.

Patented no?. 12, i907.

Applicata and anni 29.1907. semi No. 355.204.

To all whom it may concon:

Be it known that '1, Hiss P. HL'snY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements iu Folding Apparatus for Printing-Presses, of which the following is a specification, reference being hau lto the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to folding apparatus for print ing-presses, and its` object is to provide new not? irnprovcd rotary foldingfmechauisut which may be run working parts.

lt has long been a well-known fact in the art that the spoed of a printing press has been litnited by the speedat which the folding and delivery mechanism Words, that the printing mechanism could be operated and delivery apparatus could be safely and efficiently operated to fold and deliver theprinted paper,and

greater safety and efficiency have been made so that the folding and delivery mechanism is no tv commonly run at a high `rate of speed. The speed, however, at

which the printing mechanism can be run. This is largely due to the fact that Athe transverse folding mechanism which folds the paper transversely of its run, .consisting generally of a folding cylinder. coactatodat intervals to thrust the paper into the bite of the-folding' rollers, contains mechanism for operating the folding blade which causes a blow or violent contact between the parts at. each operation of the foldoperated by one spi-cies or another of cam against which some portion of the apparatus connected with the folding blade strikes as the cylinder rotates in oide'r to throw th'.` folding blade inw and ont of operative position. This violent contact betwwrt two or more 'of the. operative parts causes, of course, a severe sht'rck and strain upon tfhe operative parte, and when it is attempted to rttn tlie folding mechanism at a speed exceeding in any. considerable degree certain pretty machine at some othe.r point of strain.

I t is'tlre object of my invention to produce-.a rotary folding mechanism for foldingplper transversely on exceedingly rapid series of hlows aniieorrsmtneml strain, will enable the folding mechanism to be run at a much higher degree of speed than has heretofore been deemed practicable. To this end my invention consists primarily in the' providing of new and improved mechanism for operating the folding Madd-namely to throw it out .of. normal into folding position, and outot folding. position into normal position,-'rvithout violent contact of the parts and consequently without the seesof exceedingly rapid and severe blowsupon the parta.

This mechanism for operating the feldingbladr. speak l ing generally, consists of a rotary member 'provided' with guides adapted to operatively engage with the fol-ding blade when the folding .blade is in inoperative position and while traveling `in .the same general di` rection, to move the folding b'ade into and out of its folding psition without the sudden and .violentcons tact of parts and. without the aid of other parts, to dis. charge the folding blade in normal position to bei carried'around in its normally inoperative position Vby 75 the rotary carrier. .As embodied in the form shown and deserih'ed herein I provide the rotary member with carrying guides, preferably in the form of 'slots and preferably three in number'` The rotating member consists preferably of a disk rotating in theA opposite direction to the folding cylinder, and so arranged that the guides or slots on said' I disk at the time of engaging the tumbling lever to rockf the folding blade into operative position are traveling in the same direction as the folding blade on the folding cylinder, and that the said guides will smoothly and without n'olent Contact of parts move the engaged end of the tumbling lever, and therefore the operating edge l of the folding blade, in a curve downwards and forwards to nearly the line of contact pf the folding rollers,

then in a. corresponding curve upwards and forwards,

and discharge the tumbling lever from the same end of the slot or guide at which it entered and whilemov: ing in the same general direction as the axis of the folding blade. The engaging slot orguide'passes from the 96 circumference of the rotating member or disk towards `A its interior on aline tangent to a circle concentric with the rotating memberand of smaller diameter. 'lhe diameter of thiscircle to which the guide is tangent will, of course, depend upo'nnnumbpr of points lixe'tl i100 in advance, such as the diameter of thi folding cylinder, the relative speed of rotation of the folding u vlinf-ler v and rotating disk, the point at. which the two foldingrollers are tangent to each other andthe length of the tumbling lever and folding blade. ln order i0 'lliure' the best operationl these guides or slots nre three in number and are so arranged uport thtv rotating tuvmbef or disl. that their central longitudinal linee, prt'jt-tod,. will form :u unilateral tiiarifle (mtcentc with the Y.

'I f y rotating menthe: b vwuch my ..31 cnn-ted. Than ..10

. which, in 1.1.# crmstmction shown, is with the line of the blade from operating edge to operating edge at right angles with that radius of the folding cylinder' which passes through the pivotal line of said tumbling lever. The usual roller upon the lead end of the tumbling lever thus entering the slot will enter it without a blow or'yiolent contact of the parts, and :u the coperating parts rotate the engaged end of the tumbling lever will be smoothly and without any violent contact or blow moved along the curve. as above described, to throw tho folding blade into folding position. lAs thc parts still further rotate, the engaged end of tl1c`-tum bling lever will be moved upwards and onwards in a similar curve, and the grooves or guides are so arranged that just at the moment of the discharging of the tum bling loyer from the groove the folding blade, turned other edge first, willagain be in noi-mal position so that. the tumbling lever and folding blade will be carried down around during the operative part o their movement without any violent Contact or blow of the parts.

Itis, of'course, necessary that the folding blade during the inriperative portion of its travel should be maintained in normal position in order that the operative parts may bc sure to be in position to operate cach time they come into thc position at which they are intended to operate. ly means of these devices freeing thc parts from violent contact'and rapid blows I have been enabled to increase the speed at which the folding cylinder can be operated safety fully one-half.

ln the accompanying drawings, l"igure l is a scc' tion on line 1-1 of Fig. 2, illustrating onlform of my improved folding apparatus; indicating the driving gears 19 and 20 in dotted lines for the purposes of clearness of lliustration; Fig. 2 is an end" view thereof; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the cross-head which carries the guide rollers; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view, illustrating another form of the folding apparatus embodying my invention indicating the driving gears 19 and 20 in dotted lines. 4Referring to the drawings-4 indicates a folding cylinder mounted on n shaft 5, which is suitably mounted' on thc side members 6-7 of the frame of thc press.'

Said cylinder carries orxc or more. preferably two, folding-blade shafts SLeat-h carrying a folding-blade l).

which is preferably made in sections. as shown in lfig.

2.A Fach of said shafts carries at one end a cross-head or tumbling lover l0. which. at its ends, is provided with guidorol'ltf! Y112, as shown in Figs. l aml 3.

lll-M indicate .i pair of folding rollms arranged in juxtaposition near the periphery of thc cylinder 4, so

-that they may conveniently rccx ivo the sheets folded ,I by the folding-blade 9. The folding cylinder and folding rollers are driven by onyouitahle mechanisxzn The emes-heads or tumbling leven 10 with their rcsportive guide rollen 11,-12 are employed to control the movement of the folding blades 9. To this end tbcy wperato with a slotted disk 18, which is geared to the shaft 5 by a gear 19 which meshes with a gear20 mounted on said shalt, aseshown in Figs. 1 :md 4. lt

will be noted that in the construction shown in l-rg. l the cross-heads or turnblng levers 10 are set at an angle to their respective folding-blades 9 so that. the plane of the rollers 11-12 intersects said folding-blade. whereas in the construction shown in l-v ig. the crossheads with their respective rollers lie in the plane of their respective folding-blades. Either arrangement may be employed. Where the erom-head and rollers are set at anangle to the folding-blade, as shown in Fig. 1, two stationary guide-rings are provided for guiding the cro-heads while out of engagement with the slotted disk,-15 indicating an external guide-ring and 16 an internal guide-ring set conccntrically with the external ring and a short distance from it so asta provide a space between them in which the rollers 11-12 may run. The ends of the guide-rings 15-16 lie at opposite sides of the folding rollers 13-14 and disk 18, as shown in Fig. 1, so that they receive tbe leading roller 11 or 12, as the case may be, as it leaves the slotted disk i8 and guide the cross-hcad and folding'bl-.rde as the cylinder rotates. ln the arrangement shown in li ig. 4 the external guide-ring 15 only is provided.

21-22-23 indicate slots or grooves in the disk 18,-- said grooves extending fmm the periphery inward tangentially to a circle concentric with and of smaller diameter than said disk. as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and

being placed 120 degrees apart so that they open on the periphery of the disk at equally distant points.

lt will be evident that in operation the foldingblade when projected farthest between the folding rollers 13-14 is perpendicular to a lino connecting the axes of said folding rollers and at the same timeis in line with the axis of the folding cylinder. ln order to secure this result, where the cross-head or tumbling lever with its guide rollers is dis-p1 :sed at an angle to thc folding-blade, as shown in Fig. 1, the guide disk 18 is so placed that its axis also is 'in line with tho foldingblade when said blade is projected to the greatest extent betwccn the folding rollers, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Where the cross-head is arranged in line with the folding-blade, the guide disk 18 is so set that ils axis is at one side of the plane of the folding-blade when said blade is projected to the greatest extent between the folding roiicrs, asclcarly shown in Fig. 4, this being necessary to compensate for the eccentricity of thc slots 21, 22 and 23.

1n the construction shown in Fig. 1, assuming that the folding cylinder rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, which, however, is not essential, as it may rotate in the other direction-the leading roller l1 or l2, as the euse may bij, moves in tho space between tht` guiderings 15--16 until it reaches the disk 18 at which time one of the slots 21, 22 or 23 is in line with the end of the guide space 17. The guide roller tiren enters said slot and by the operation of @aid slot enacting with the rotating movement of the folding cylinder carrying the axis of the folding blade around in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the .guide roller will be moved in a curve downward and fr'rrward, thereby rocking the folding-blade and causing itto fold and tuck the sheet into the bite of thc folding rollers lll-H, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l. As the rotation continu'es the fuller engaged in the slot is carried upward and forward along a sima'- roo lar curve, bringing the folding blade into normal poei- 130 -40 of the operating parts and without the rapid succession tion of the folding cylinder carrying the folding blade n when the folding blade is in normal position and is re- 50" the ccpenition or additional action of any other stavi t tion just as theroller leaves the slot :1nd swinging tbe opposite roller forward and in position to enter botwoen the Vguide rings )5r-'16, as is shown in full line. in Fig. l. t

5 lt ivill be umlerstood. ol course, that the coins l9-2ll :iro of such proportion that thi` speed of the disk 18 is properly timed to copenttc with thtI guide rollers` in the manner described. l

The operation of the parte in the form shon'n in Fig. 4

is similar to that above described. In this case the plane of the folding blade is the saine as the plane of tumbling levers, and the folding blade is held in nornml position by the bearing o the two rollers l1 and l2 upon the interior surface of the' circular guide 15. As

the parte` rotate. one of the slots on the disk 18 comes v into position to receive the roller on the lead end of the tumbling lever just as it passes the ond of the guide 15 and with the folding binde in its normal position. The roller thus enters the slot without any violent Contact or blow between the parts, and as the disk 18 is carried around b v the coaction of the slot with the rotation of the parts the load end of the tumbling lever, and with it A' the load edge of the folding blade, is moved in a curve forward and downward into the position shown in dotted lilies in Fig. 4, at which point it tucks or thrusts the paper into the bite of the folding rollers. As the rotation continues, the engaged end of the tumbing lever i Ais moved upward and forward along a similar curve. and by this action of the groove Without the medium of "any other part pr(pn.r\s, either stationary or movable.

`l the folding blade has been turned over so that it is again I in normal position just as the engaged roller leaves the slotand the'rollers 11-12 are in position to bear .upon

f` the interior surface of the guide 15 Without any further 35l operation in order to be carried around for the next operation of the folding blade.

' It will be eeen from the above description that with the arrangement shown. in the first place, the folding 'blade is operated without a sudden or violent contact 'I of severe blows which limitthc .operative speed of the machine and tend to cause breakage of the parts; in vftbe second place; that by the mere coperation of the groove or guide on the rotating member with the rotauround, the tumbling lever is received by the guide leased by the guide. when the folding blade, having *been turned over, is again in normal position. without ,-,tumtry or movable member. thus preventing any violent contactoznd severe blows between moving and operating parte..

I wislritto be understood that my invention is not restricted to the specific d ctails of the construction illus i tmted and described, :is many modifications may be made without departing from my invention.

1t will be undcrstmd that instead of using rollers on t the cmss-heaii any othercqnivalt-nt devices may be emi ploycd, and the ter'ii: "rollers" as used in the claims is to be construed accordingly.

lt will. of course, be understood that in actual prac lice the folding cylinder will be provided 'with sonic usual and weil-known rnenns-such as gripper` or impaling plus, it'r instance-to engage the lf-nd end of the i sheet und hold it upon the cylinder prior to the opi-mtion of the folding -blnde These ports. however, are so well known nud understood that l have not shown thorn in the drawings. in order that the ports to which my invention specilitally relates may bo more clearly shown Without unnergesssrj.'additions. Their operation .vill. therefore. be readily understmd.

That which l claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is,-

1. A rotary foldini.r device comprising :x rotary carrier, :i foldingr binde carried thereby. and a rotatlm.Y guide adopted to operntiveLvt:rgano said folding binde when said folding blade is in norme! position und while moving ln the saine direction, and by itself to move said folding blade into fohlinl: posltlon und back again into normal position und dist-burmtbe sume from operative Contact with said rotntlm.l guide with said folding blade in normal position.

L. A rotary folding device comprlsluxz a rotary carrier, :i folding binde carried thereby. coat'ting folding rollers, nml :l rotating member provided with a guide adapted tn .peratively engage said folding binde when said folding blzitle is ln normal positln und while moving nthe same direction. und by itself to mov`e said folding blade into folding position and back again liito normal position and discharge the same from operatlve contact with said r0- t.1tlng guide with said folding blade ln normal position.

li. The combuatlon with a rotating carrier. a lfolding binde carried thereby, and s tumbling lever connected with .said foldingblsde, ot' a rotating member, and a guide on Suid rotating member adapted to ngnge the lead end of said tumbling lever when said foding blade is in normal position. and by itself to operate naid folding blade, to return the same into normal position 'and discharge said tumbling lever from said guide with snld folding blade in ncrmnl position. I

4. 'lhe combination with a rotating carrler a folding blade carried thereby. and a tumbling lever connected with said t'oldlm,r blade. of a rotating member,'a guide on said rotating member adapted to engage the lead end of said tumbling lever when said folding blade is ln normal position, and by itself' to operate said folding blade, to return the same into normal position and discharge said tumbling lever from said guide .with ssld folding blade in normal position, und 'means adapted to coast with .said folding blade to complete the fold.

5. lPhe combination with n rotary carrier, a foldingA blade carried thereby, und counting folding rollers. of n tumbling lever connected with said folding blade, aA rotatini.: member. a guide on said rotating: member adapted to engage said tumbling lever while said folding blade is ln normal position and wnile traveling in the same direction therewith and by its bearing on said tumbling lever tn more salti folding blade into folding position :ind back ngrnin into normal position and to discharge said tumbling lei er with the folding blade in normal position.

.6. The combination with u rotary carrier. a folding; illude carried thereby. enacting folding rollers. and means for retaining said folding blade Ln a normal position when rpt operating. of :l tumbling lever connected with said.

{onlin-.z blade. n rotntim.r member, a guide on unid rotntln: member adapted to cngnnt said tumbling lever while said folding binde is in non-.ml position und while traveling in tblsouie direction tbcronith :und by its beni-ing on said tumbling.' lever to more sold folding blade into folding position :ind buck :"uin luto normal position :ind to discharge sind tuinblinz.Y lever with the'foldlng blade in normal position.

7. 'llie combination with :t rotary carrier. a folding.r l-lr-de i-:trried thereinA aud folding rollers enacting there- \\.tb. oi' n uunblln: lever connettori with sold folding binde. -i romliu: nnnil-ur. und :i guide on said rotntln: member adopted lo cna-:ige tbc li-:nl und ut solo tumbling lever when folding blade is in uorntnl position to opt-nite said folding blade lo return the snuit into normal position and discharge sind tumbling lever from said guide g with said foldin: blzubl in normal position.

.\. The combination with n rotary carrier, a` folding;

binde ena-rind thereby. and cout-ling folding rollers, of n rotating member. a guide on said rotating member extend` ini. inwards from its periphery, and menus connected with said folding blade adapted lo be engaged by siiid guide when said folding binde is in normal position to operare said folding blade. withdraw the said folding binde from operative position into normal position and be discharged from said guide with said foldln.,r blade ln normal position, tl. The combination wltli .i rotary carrier, :i folding blade carried thereby and courting; folding.y rollers. of a tumbling lever connected with said folding binde. n rotiitini.r meinber. a guidi` ou sold rotating member extending inwards from its periphery and adapted to engage the lead end of snld tumbling lever when said folding blade is in normal position io nierate said folding bindt` and discharge said tumbling lever from sold guide when said folding blade is nguin in normal position from the saine end of said guide by which the tumbling lever was first engaged.

l0. The combination with a rotary carrier. n folding binde carried thereby` and enacting folding rollers. of .t

tumbling lever-connected with snid fol-.ling binde, a rolnt tumbling lever from said guide with snld folding blade in normal position,

il. The combination with a rotary carrier, a folding binde carried thereby and enacting folding rollers, of a tumbling lover connected with "iid folding binde. a rotatlng member, n. plurality of gull s on. sold rotating member tangential to n circle concentric with und of less diameter than said rotating member :ind adapted to engage the lead end of said tumbling lever when said folding blade is in nornmi position, operate said folding binde and dis charge sold tumbling lever from snid guides with said folding binde in normal position.

l2. The combination with a rotnry carrier, afoidlng blinde cari-led thereby and coacting folding rollers. of a tumbling lever connected with said folding blade, a rotnting member. n plurality of guides on said rotating member having their longitudinal lines. projected, so disposed ns to form nu equllatcrni polygon concentric with snld ro totingr member and adapted to engage the lend end of said tumbling lever with said folding blade in normal position t0 operate said foldingbhide, restore it to normal position and discharge said tumbling lever with said blade i'n normal position. l

13. The combination with a rotary carrier, a folding blade carried thereby and courting folding rollers, of a tumbling lever connected with said folding binde. a rotating member, three giildes on said rotating member having their longitudinal lines, projected. su disposed as to form an equilaileriil triangle concentric with said rotating member and adapted to engage the lead end of said tumbling ,lever with snld folding binde in normal position to operate intltl folding binde. restore it to normalposition and discharge said tumbling lever with said binde in normnl posillon. f 14. The combination with a rotary carrier; a folding binde cari-led thereby and enacting folding rollers. of a rotating member, a guide on said rotating member extendlng inwards from its periphery and tangential to a circle concentric with nndof less diameter than said rointing member, and menus connected with mid foldingblude adapted io be engaged by said guide with lsaid foidl-n.' blade in noriunl position to operate said folding hliidri :rnd to be discharged from said guide with said folding bindt ngaln in normnl position.

15. The combination with a rotary carrier, a foliln; binde carried thereby` and enacting folding rollers, of .i tumbling lever connected with snhl i'oltilni.l binde. a. roini ing member. u guide on snld rotating member mirino-.i lo engage siild tumbling lever when the folding bla/i-= b li: normal position and while traveling in the some dirwilon4 to niove said folding blade into operative position and out of operative position'lnto normal position and to dio-barge sold tumbling lever from the engaging end of .sain guidewhile traveling in the same general direction therewith and with the folding:` binde in its normally inoperative pnsitlon.

16. The combination with a rotary cin-rter. ii folding blade carried thereby and coaeting folding roll-ers, oi :i tumbling inver connected with salti folding binde. t1 rotor. lng member. n plurality of slots on said rotating member adopted to engage the lend end of said tumbling ler-1' while traveling in the sume direction and move said iol-.L ing bindeY into and out of operative position und to reinos.- iiuid tumbling lever with Said folding binde in uornril position from the some end 0f the slot with which said tniniiliig lever was first engaged.

1i7. ".he combination with a rotary cnrrler, a folding blade carried thereby, coiicting folding rollers. a tumbling lever connected with said folding binde. and a milde beni*- lng on said tumbling lever and adopted to hold said tumbling lever and folding blade ln normal position when not operating. of n rotating member, a vslot on said rotating member adapted to engage snid tumbling ierer :is s-.iid tumbling lever leaves said guide with said folding'lilail` in normal position and while traveling in the sanieuilr'w tion therewith anti by its bearing on said tuniblrg lexei' as said folding cylinder rotates `to move said folding binde into folding position and back again into normal position and to disehurge said tumbling lever when in normal position to again enter said guide.

18. The combination with a rotary carrier, e. folding 'blade carried thereby. and a tumbling lever connected with said folding blade, of a rotary member and a guide on saio rotary member adapted to engage the lead end 'if said tumbling lever and guide the folding knife into und out of folding position and to discharge the engaged end of anld tumbling lever from the same end of said guide by which said tumbling lever was engaged.

19. A folding device having a. rotary carrier, afobling blade carried thereby. a tumbling leverv connected with said folding binde, and a moving guide adapted to engage snid tumbling lever when said folding binde is in normal position and by itself to move snlil folding binde into and out of folding position and tn discharge said tumbling lever with the folding blade in normal position.

20. The combination with a rotnry carrier, a folding blade carried thereby and u tumbling lever connected with said folding bl fie.' of a moving guide adapted to engage said tumbling lever und guide the folding binde luto nml lili 

